Death and Memory in Early Medieval Britain

Addresses the commemorative functions of funerary ritual between 400–1100 AD using archaeological remains as its evidence base.

An innovative application of theories of memory and material culture to an early historic society, this 2006 book uses the early medieval cemetery in Britain between 400–1100 AD as a rich and complex data set, addressing the commemorative functions of funerary ritual using archaeological remains as its evidence base.How were the dead remembered in early medieval Britain? Originally published in 2006, this innovative study demonstrates how perceptions of the past and the dead, and hence social identities, were constructed through mortuary practices and commemoration between c. 400–1100 AD. Drawing on archaeological evidence from across Britain, including archaeological discoveries, Howard Williams presents a fresh interpretation of the significance of portable artefacts, the body, structures, monuments and landscapes in early medieval mortuary practices. He argues that materials and spaces were used in ritual performances that served as 'technologies of remembrance', practices that created shared 'social' memories intended to link past, present and future. Through the deployment of material culture, early medieval societies were therefore selectively remembering and forgetting their ancestors and their history. Throwing light on an important aspect of medieval society, this book is essential reading for archaeologists and historians with an interest in the early medieval period.